


This Reset is Something Different

by tinydragon555



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Backstory, Gen, Narrator Chara (Undertale), Nonbinary Chara (Undertale), Nonbinary Frisk (Undertale), POV Chara (Undertale)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-07 21:49:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20982932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinydragon555/pseuds/tinydragon555
Summary: Chara hasn't been seen or talked to as a ghost for years, upon years. They can't even touch anything, and this frustrates them to no end. They have witnessed it all. The six other humans falling into the ruins, and then being killed, their souls sent to Asgore by sentrys and royal guards. The flower with the ability to reset, sometimes gaining friends, and other times wreaking havoc. It never ends.Then another human falls.





	1. Fallen Down

**Author's Note:**

> I'm probably not going to add to this, it's just a little drabble to keep me on my toes while I write my bigger Deltarune story.

It was a chilly day in Snowdin. Not that Chara could feel the cold, but it was metaphorically chilly as well. It was also lonely, quiet. All monsters that usually inhabited the town had either bit the dust already or been evacuated by the royal scientist.

Chara was bored. Extremely bored. So bored, that if they were corporeal, they would actually clean Toriel's house in the ruins. Or tidy Asgore's house in New Home. They never, ever, wanted to clean. At all. Suffice to say, they were bored. That flower with the ability to reset the underground couldn't even see them, and he was on a rampage right now, murdering their family and friends. Again. Chara almost wanted to cry, and they could if they really, really wanted to. No one would see them if they did.

They float down to sit on the snow, inhaling deeply. The air always tastes like the smell of rain when you're a ghost, and that is very hard to describe. Similar to muddy water, with a hint of chlorine in it. Disgusting, and refreshing at the same time. Kind of like crying, Chara muses, as a tear falls down their cheek. It slips down to their chin, and drops to the snow. There's no indication that it had ever fallen, there's no darkened patch in the pure white substance. Chara has come to accept the fact that they'll never touch anything again, barely. Well, except for themselves, but they are in fact as boring as the empty underground right now.

The world around them darkens, and for a second they think that they've passed out, but then light shines in their eyes again. Oh. The flower got bored again. The child stands in the ruins, staring down at their unmarked grave. It is littered with buttercup flowers, and Chara finds that poetic. What killed them lives on through them. They're disturbed in their pondering by a loud crash, petals and grass flying every which way. Chara jerks to the direction of the noise, and sees something that hasn't graced their presence in such a long time.

A fallen human.

This one is younger than all the rest, that they can tell. They have dark brown hair, with honey-colored skin that is bruised somewhat from their fall.  
They are also wearing a thick, baggy violet and blue striped sweater, that looks homemade. It reminds Chara of their own sweater, made by Toriel and given to them as a gift that warmed their very soul. It was identical to Asriel's own sweater, but adjusted to fit their size. Their throat tightens, and Chara breathed in deeply. No crying, not now. They float nearer to the fallen child, who is shifting in their stunned sleep, now waking. Chara looks down to them with squinted eyes, watching as the kid's chocolate-colored ones blink open. The child startled, sitting up quickly and backing away from Chara. The child can see them? That's a first.

"W-who are you!?" They stutter, looking around for a weapon and finding a thin stick, picking it up and pointing it at Chara. The former heir to the underground has wide eyes, and points at their chest as they speak. "You can see me?" They ask, watching as the child nods shakily, adjusting their grip on the stick. Chara grins. "No one has ever had the ability to see me before! Wow, this is amazing!" Chara says excitedly, floating over to the child who seems more and more afraid by the second. Chara doesn't notice, too busy in their own head and emotions to see it.

"A-are you a g-ghost?" The child asks, their wide eyes growing impossibly bigger. Chara nods quickly. "Yes, I am. You asked who I was, right? Well, let's start over." Chara says, changing their position from floating midair to a semi-crouched state, the child in front of them still holding the stick tightly. "Greetings, I, am Chara." They say, seeing the other child gulp nervously.

"H-hi, Chara. My name's Frisk." They say, having gained more confidence. Frisk offers Chara their hand, and Chara laughs at the notion. "Sorry, incorporeal. See?" Chara says, waving their hand through Frisk's. The other child looks at this, amazed, and slowly stands up. "Where am I?" They ask, nervously, looking up to see where they fell from. Frisk sighs, seeing that there is no way they're getting back up there any time soon.

"The Underground." Chara says, and smirks at Frisk's confused head tilt. "What's the Underground?" They question, stick now held at their side. Chara's smirk turns into a grin, as they point to the door leading to the ruins. "Why don't you see for yourself?" They offer, and follow Frisk as the younger child hesitantly begins walking towards the doorway away from the patch of flowers. Chara chances one last look at their grave, and smiles, giving it a little wave goodbye.

This is going to be interesting.


	2. Ruins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think I would continue this. Enjoy it while I still have the motivation! :)

The flower. That damned flower and his penchant for murder gets on Chara's ghost nerves. They have no idea who he thinks he is, but right now, if they could, they would rip all of those pretty little petals off of his frail little head. If only.

Frisk is nervously glancing back at them while Flowey continues to 'teach' the young child about the Underground, fake smile in place. When magically, little white pellets appear in the air, Chara's face falls. "Don't touch those!" They warn the kid, as they cautiously dodge each and every bullet. Eventually, Flowey gets tired of playing, and gives Frisk an annoyed stare. "You know what's going on here, don't you?" He asks in that annoying high-pitched voice, and Frisk's eyes widen as Flowey's face morphs into something out of a gruesome nightmare. "You just wanted to see me suffer."

Chara is horrified when the flower traps Frisk in a circle of pellets, a malicious grin on his face. "D i e." He says, and begins to cackle as the pellets close in on Frisk. The child shuts their eyes tight, stick held closely to their chest. Luckily, before they are hurt, the flower is hit with a blast of familiar fire magic, and yelps in surprise as he is hurled across the den. Chara sees him slink back into the ground, a frustrated look on his face. Good, they think.

"Mom!" Chara exclaims in glee, and then covers their mouth immediately. Did they want Frisk to know that? Probably not, but the deed is done. Frisk looks at them incredulously, before staring back up at the worried tall goat lady. Toriel introduces herself, and offers to help Frisk. The child agrees, following Chara's mother into the Ruins. The ghost tags along with Frisk, hovering over their shoulder like a guardian angel of sorts. They snort at that thought, remembering monsters referring to them as "the angel of prophecy" all those years ago. What a joke, they think cynically.

Frisk looks back at them with a raised brow, and Chara shakes their head. "Nothing." They mutter, head down. The younger child sighs, sprinting to catch up to Toriel. Their mother teaches the fallen child of the puzzles and traps in the Ruins, guiding them expertly through. At one point Frisk encounters a Froggit, and Toriel gives the poor monster such a stare that the frog will most likely be having nightmares for months.

Toriel leaves Frisk by themselves to presumably go bake a pie, Chara guesses, as that is what the monster would do. She is so kind, and giving. Chara was lucky to have her while it lasted. Frisk fiddles with the phone they had been given, sitting down and leaning against a wall in the hallway. "Chara?" They ask, looking up to the ghost, who is currently floating on their back, imagining that they are wading through the pools of Waterfall, calm and collected. They snap out of their trance, turning to look at Frisk. "Yes?" Chara answers, cocking an eyebrow. The child looks nervous, pocketing the phone and instead choosing to play with their stick.

"Why did you call Toriel "mom"?" Frisk questions, their round brown eyes big and open and welcoming, something that reminded Chara of Asriel. They shake that thought from their head, and then turn onto their belly in the air. "Well, she is my mom. Kind of. I fell down here, like you, and was adopted by her and my dad." They explain, leaving out the part about Asriel. Talking, or even thinking about him always made Chara choke up, so they didn't.

Frisk nods. "How come you are like this, then?" They ask, gesturing to Chara's ghostly figure. They sigh, giving Frisk a sad look. "That is a story for another time. Anyway, Toriel has been gone for a long time. Shouldn't you call her and find out what's taking her?" Chara asks, attempting to distract Frisk for the time being. The child pouts, before relenting and taking the phone out, calling Toriel. The phone rings for a few seconds, before the monster answers. "Hello?"

Frisk asks her about a few things, and at their attempt to flirt, Chara scolds them with an angry blush on their face. How dare they! Frisk grins widely at the ghost, and then sticks their tongue out in a teasing manner. Oh, so that's how it is, then. They begin to make the most ridiculous faces that they can think of, sticking their hands over their ears and flapping them to imitate a fish. Frisk is laughing now, leaving Toriel confused on the other end of the line. "My child? Is something the matter?" The goat monster asks.

Frisk answers after they've caught their breath. "Oh, no, sorry. Something's just, funny, I guess." They say, Before ending the conversation with a "goodbye" and hanging up. The child stands, putting their phone in a pocket and hanging onto their trusty stick yet again. Chara is confused, now following Frisk as they walk out of the hallway. "What're you doing?" They ask, brows scrunched up in worry. Frisk shrugs. "I don't want to wait any more." They reply, before jumping in surprise as the phone rattles in their pocket. They answer, and give Chara a weird look as Toriel talks to them on the phone.

After ending the conversation, Frisk giggles. "Is she psychic or something?" They ask, and then their face falls as they realize that this could actually be a possibility. Chara shakes their head wildly. "No! No. I'm pretty sure she just has a sixth sense when it comes to her … children." They say, pausing at the last word. Toriel had been quick to take on her role as "mother" to Frisk, just as she did with the other fallen children. Chara's beginning to think that she is compensating for something, most likely them and their brother. It's sad, now that they think about it.

Frisk passes by a Froggit on their way to explore the other rooms, giving the little monster a kind wave. The frog waves back. The child enters a specific room that Chara knows well, and they hang back while Frisk examines the candy bowl on a pedestal. Frisk takes one piece of candy, putting it in their pocket. "You took a piece of candy." They say, crossing their arms. Frisk looks back at them, shrugging. They take another. "You took … more candy. How disgusting." Chara says, leering at Frisk. The child grins, unwrapping this one and beginning to eat it. They take another. "You took another piece! You should feel like the scum of the Earth." Chara berates, floating over to rest by Frisk's shoulder. They pocket more and more candy, and Chara's own teaching about the rules of the candy bowl so long ago is making them irritated.

Frisk accidentally knocks the bowl onto the floor, and stares at it, then looks back at Chara with wide eyes. Chara scoffs. "Look at what you've done." They say smugly, raising their eyebrows. Frisk sighs with a sad pout on their face, exiting the room in a slouched walk. Chara follows, hanging back a little. Frisk deserves the shame, they shouldn't ever take that much candy!

Maybe Chara is reflecting a bit too much.


	3. Home

After exploring more of the Ruins, Frisk comes across a sleeping ghost that is blocking their path forwards. Chara never knew why the ghosts that inhabited the Underground couldn't see them, maybe they did and were just being polite by not pointing it out, but it frustrated them nonetheless. Was it because they were monster ghosts, or did they need the same soul trait as Chara? That seemed to be the case, as Frisk did have a similar color, only lighter and overall untainted. This fallen child could be the only person to ever see them in such a long time, as the red soul trait was so rare. Everyone else has yellow, or blue, green. Never red. They were bullied often on the surface for this, something that they had no choice in owning. Chara was lucky to fall into the Underground.

Frisk fights the ghost, or more accurately put, trembled in fear as Napstablook's magical tears shot at them until he got tired. They complimented his dapper hat, and spared him. Chara noticed that no matter what, Frisk was determined to spare each and every monster. Not even attacking them once. They weren't like that at all, always getting into fights at school and injuring themselves and their opponents in the process. Perhaps if they hadn't been so quick to violence, they would be alive today …

"How come the ghost can't see you?" Frisk asks Chara, after barely making it through another of the Ruins' puzzles. More like death traps, Chara thought grimly. They don't have to think about the child's question for long, and answer with a shrug. "I don't know." They say, looking down to Frisk, who is frowning deeply. This kid.

"You've been alone for a long time." They state, rummaging through some bushes and pausing at something that Chara can't see, waving their hand through the air, before jumping into more leaves. Chara nods at Frisk, glancing back to the child's imaginary thing in the bushes. What could it be that they saw and Chara didn't? Maybe they just had an overactive imagination, and Chara was thinking too hard on it.

"I have." They say to Frisk, and after they see a familiar tree with beautiful crimson leaves, they point it out to Frisk. "There." They say, with no more context. The child below them nods, running quickly towards the tall tree. Suddenly, they see Toriel come from behind it, looking to be dialing on her phone. The goat monster looks up from her device, and gasps at Frisk. "My child!" She exclaims, running to the young human and capturing them in a bone-crushing hug. Chara giggles at the child's misfortune, and watched as Toriel frets over Frisk's wellbeing. She begins to lead them inside, pausing as Frisk waves their hand over another imaginary something in the bushes before the house. They smile up at Toriel, and follow.

Chara stays outside, floating over the bushes and looking down. They wave their hand over the spot Frisk had paid attention to, watching as a shining gold star flickers between their fingers. "What … ?" They mumble, watching as they wave again and again, the star becoming more prominent. Is this what Frisk is seeing? What is it, what does it do? Chara bites their lip in thought, before floating up to enter Toriel's home.

They find Frisk sat down in front of a fireplace, Toriel comfortably nestled into her chair. The child is listening closely as Toriel reads a book about the different kinds of snails, and their uses. Chara remembers doing this with Asriel, their brother being much more infatuated with the different shells, and … tastes. They almost gag thinking about it. The only thing they didn't like about living with the Dreemurrs was their hunger for all things snail. Chara was much more interested in chocolate, but maybe that's just them. If only they could have some again.

After Frisk gets bored of listening to Toriel's reading, they stand up and begin to explore the house. Chara follows behind, and knows that the child has noticed their arrival. There's a comfortable silence between the two, as Frisk stands on the tips of their toes to examine the kitchen counter. They find a bar of chocolate in the fridge, along with some eggs and milk. There's butter as well, but it has almost run out. Frisk takes the chocolate bar, unwrapping it and carefully breaking off a segment of the treat. They nervously look up to Chara, as if they want to offer them some, before sighing and beginning to eat.

Frisk tells Toriel that they want to go to bed, and Toriel tells them of the child's bedroom prepared in the hall. Frisk smiles, thanking her, slowly strolling towards the room. Chara floats along, almost serenely. The opening of a toy chest snaps them out of their own head, and they startle seeing that they have managed to float halfway through a wall. They chuckle, moving down to see Frisk looking at some of their and Asriel's old items. Frisk is holding a small sewn spider plush, covered in dust after so long. The child slowly placed the toy back in the chest, closing it and crawling into bed.

"Chara?" They ask, after situation themselves under the covers. The older child tilts their head in Frisk's direction, showing that they are listening. Frisk swallows audibly, turning under their blanket. "How long?" They ask, seemingly wanting to continue their conversation from earlier. Chara closes their eyes, thinking hard.

They remember the expansion of the Core after their death, that having taken many years to build by the old royal scientist. They can't recall the scientist's name, or face, but they have fond memories of them talking with Asgore in the castle, being dumbfounded by the children running around happily.

They remember the sudden appearance of the skeleton brothers, seemingly out of nowhere. The shorter one having instantly entered Asgore's circle not long after retrieving two of the six human souls for the king. They still get chills crawling up their spine whenever they see that … that monster in their wanderings around the Underground.

They remember so, so many things. The sudden explosion of resets after the flower made himself known, first being kind, and then doing unthinkable evils. He had destroyed so many lives, and went unpunished, reset after reset, cackling at the other monster's misfortune and grief. Chara was about to lose themselves, before Frisk fell into their not-life.

Chara sighs, turning to look at Frisk. "It's been well over a century, but I remember everything vividly." They say, sighing as Frisk's shiny brown eyes widen, their lip wobbling. The small child sits up, rubbing at their face with balled-up fists. "I'm sorry." They say, sounding so quiet and defeated. How can someone feel so much for a person that they haven't even known for a day? How can a human feel so much?

"I-It's alright." Chara replies, floating around to lie on their back in the air, folding their arms under their head and closing their eyes. Ghosts can't sleep, as far as they know, but it is relaxing to just let their mind wander to happier places. Happier worlds where they didn't die, or where Asriel was still alive. Just that would be enough for Chara, for their brother to live on.

Maybe he is, in some way. They just haven't figured it out yet.


End file.
